Companies such as AT&T Wireless Services, BellSouth, Ericsson, Motorola, Qwest Wireless, Nextel Communications, Verizon Wireless, SBC Communications and VoiceStream Wireless make up the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. The players, which want control of the 700MHz bandwidth because of its ideal location on the bandwidth spectrum for next-generation mobile and broadband services, requested the delay, citing “uncertainties” in present wireless deployment.

The telecom players said in a release that the delay is appropriate “to ensure that interested parties have a sufficient time to develop business plans, access market conditions and evaluate.”.